"There's no religion that could save me.

No matter how long my knees are on the floor.

So keep in my mind all the sacrifices I'm making, to keep you by my side and to keep you from walking out the door."

-BRUNO MARS

Gabriella's Mind-

I knew it was a bad idea.

Everybody in the history of the world knew getting Troy Bolton high was like trying to start a fire without matches or without a lighter. And I was totally and completely shocked when he actually picked up that blunt and took in the smoke. Over and over again.

Troy had left the building, evidently. The real Troy that I knew and loved would have never smoked yet alone touched the thing. He was terrified of smoke, of things that were bad for him. Exactly why he was terrified of me half the time.

I thought I was in hell when I finally woke up. If hell was in the passenger's seat of my own car, that is.

I was incoherent, unsure of what was going on. My mind felt dead. Had I managed to damage what was left of my brain?

Flashing lights. Red and blue. Oh, shit. Cherries and berries. That was never good!

My eyes blinked a couple of times to recollect the world around me. In my peripheral, I could see Troy with his hands on the wheel. He did not look good. His eyes were foggy, bloodshot. He looked so exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in months.

I wanted to pretend I was still passed out but I couldn't disguise my own fear as a man with a blue shirt and matching pants came up to Troy's window with a flashlight. He beckoned Troy to roll down the window.

"Evening, sir. Do you realize you were going 20 mph when the speed limit is 55?"

Dammit. Troy was driving like an old lady. Of course. He wouldn't dare be speeding. Instead, he was being overly cautious.

Troy looked like he was petrified, like if he spoke he'd probably wet his pants. I actually felt sympathy for him and I fought the urge to grab his hand and attempt to make him feel better.

He'd probably never been in a situation like this before.

"Sir? You with me?" The police officer inspected Troy's irises, which were there, yet so not.

I wanted to nudge him. Speak, dumb ass. If you don't, we're fucked.

"Miss?" The police officer looked over at me, realizing I was half-awake, taking in the whole situation.

I needed to put on my good girl veneer right away.

"Hey, Mr. officer." I greeted him, trying to give him a smile. I can tell it turned out weak. "Sorry, Troy's kind of like a deer in the headlights right now. He turns to mush when he's put in a scary situation."

The officer just raised an eyebrow. "Can you explain why he was driving 20 mph in a 55 range?"

"Well, rumor has it, wildcats randomly immerge from bushes. Troy was just being overly cautious. Especially on streets like this. They're creepy, you know? Troy doesn't like to hurt the wild. He's very nature-friendly."

I had to stop myself from laughing my ass off at my stupid lie. Dear God. I'm amazing.

Troy's glazed, crystal blue eyes glanced over at me, subtly. He looked nervous as hell, again, like he might just wet his pants.

"Can I see your license, sir?" The officer shined his light back on Troy, who almost flinched at the sudden attention on him.

Poor guy.

Troy rummaged through his pockets, pulling out his license, handing it to the guy.

"Bolton, huh? Ain't you Jack's son?" The officer lowered his hat for a second, taking in Troy's face. "I'll be damned – you look just like him. Jack and I went to high school together."

He looked over to me. "Who's car does this belong to?"

"It's mine."

"Can I see the registration?"

I searched through the glove box to reveal the paper's for the car and handed it to the man. He seemed to have relaxed a little, knowing Troy was Jack's son. Funny how everybody knew Jack around here. Jack was pretty likable though.

"Well, I'd suggest you get in the driver's seat. This boy looks like he's going to go into shock any time now." He was actually snickering! "Hope you two have a good night. Tell Jack I said hi."

He hadn't even checked the registration!

I looked at Troy, who was looking at me desperately, as the police officer walked away.

"Well, that was close." I chuckled. "Thank God for Jack."

Then it happened. I seen what looked like fire ignite in Troy Bolton's eyes. His jaw tightened and without a word, he turned off my car's ignition and got out, starting to walk along the side of the road. WTF?

Confused, I hopped out, following behind him. "The hell are you doing?"

The only response I had gotten was the sound of Troy's vans hitting the pavement as he continued to walk.

"Hello? Asswipe? Where are you going?"

Troy finally whirled around, facing me. "That was fun. Wasn't it, Gabriella?"

The way he said my name so venomously kind of sent me into hysterics. Damn, he was so hot when he was mad.

I was kind of glad he had his voice back though. I could tell he was being sarcastic.

"Oh, so now you're pissed?"

Troy just glared, rolling his eyes. "Really?" And then he started walking away. "I'm going home."

He was so cute. Like a child having a tantrum.

"You could always stomp your foot. That might work too."

This didn't ease the situation.

"Troy, I'm sorry, OK! I knew it wasn't a good idea. But I sure as hell didn't think Jack Bolton's bestie would show up and pull us over!"

Troy stopped for a second. "Yeah, you think he's not gonna tell my dad? My dad already doesn't know where I am. Wait 'til his friend from high school calls him to inform him!"

"Your dad saved our ass in this one! If he wasn't so badass, that police man would have taken us to juvy. Right then and there. Maybe even prison if we're lucky enough."

Troy didn't seem refreshed by this information. "So I should just be celebrating over the fact that we just got stopped by a police man, after doing drugs and didn't get caught?"

"Well, it's a hell lot better than getting caught." I mentioned.

Troy just grumbled and continued to walk alongside of the pavement, ignoring the fact it was a dead highway in the middle of nowhere. No sign of human life or even…any life. At all.

"So, you're going to walk home?"

He didn't answer.

"Well, that'll be fun. Wait 'til some weirdo sees you walking in the road, checks out your fine ass and decides he wants some. Have you ever been fucked in the ass before, Troy? Oh wait. No. You haven't. Well, I'm sure tonight will be the first!" I yelled at him.

What? Queers need some action some time too, you know? And if I was a gay guy, Troy would definitely be the apple of my eye!

Hell, he's still the apple of my eye. Ugh.

What does that even mean…exactly?

Stubborn, bullheaded… he kept walking! Ugh. I didn't want to have to go to extreme measures…

"I'm calling your dad!"

Ha. He totally just stopped in his tracks and turned around, a look of panic in his eyes. "You wouldn't."

Oh, yes I would. "If you don't get your ass back in my car right now and stop being a child, I will."

With my cell phone out, I held it up, proving to Troy I wasn't joking. He wanted to play games? Well, I can too.

It took a moment for him to stalk over to my car again. Grudgingly, of course. He was pouting.

I got in the passenger's seat.

He got in the front seat, his forehead must have created wrinkles. He sure looked stressed out. Pop a blood vessel, maybe?

He then turned on the car, not even looking back at me. Ouch.

He made sure to drive 55 the whole way back to my house.

"Are you seriously going to ignore me the whole way back to your house?"

…

I rolled my eyes. Cool beans.

"Hey, dickhead? You there?" I ran a hand in front of his concentrated blue eyes.

He didn't flinch.

So I pouted. And folded my arms, groaning extremely loud. Like a little kid who just got grounded from his or her video games.

"Admit it. Tonight was fun. You lived a little."

Silenced still echoed through my car.

"OK! I'm sorry. Jesus, Troy. Stop ignoring me. Please." Lord, I was a little bitch. I couldn't stand him not saying anything.

"You're right, I'm wrong. It was a bad idea… this whole night. But you kind of lost it. Usually you go all head-ass and forbid me from taking you to such trashy places."

Finally, his eyes shifted over to me in the darkness. "I know."

He actually looked sorry. Apologetic. Like this was his fault.

"I'm sorry, Gabriella. I just… you know, for one minute, I was trying to be someone else. And it was stupid." He frowned, and his eyes went back to the dark road in front of us.

I watched him in the moonlight, the way his cheek bones were so defined, the way his eyebrows furrowed when he was angry. In spite of everything, he looked so attractive right now. As he always did. Which of course… pissed me off.

"Well, I didn't want you to be anyone else. Honestly, I have no idea why the hell I push you to do things you don't like to do. I guess I just like it when you look uncomfortable. It's entertaining."

Troy looked over at me, without saying a thing. He just raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously. You're funny. You wonder why Zeke annoys you so much. You think he really is that annoying?"

"Yeah. Right. Zeke is that annoying." Troy argued.

I lit up the cig with the lighter I had in my back pocket.

I watched Troy's face. His nose crinkled. Like it always does.

"You know, you could at least attempt to hide your disgust."

"What's the point? You're my girlfriend. And you're going to get cancer." I ignored the way he titled me as his 'girlfriend', which made my heart waver.

He was totally rude and pissed off when he said this.

So much for chivalry.

"Mmm. Cancer. Yum. I love cigarettes." I grinned to irritate him.

He only shook his head and looked out the window. I thought I hinted a trace of a smile on those perfect lips.

I hadn't realized we were so close to our houses.

He parked my Honda in my driveway. The house looked dead. Pretty sure my parents weren't even around. They hadn't been home in days.

"Your parents?" He asked.

"Hell, if I know. They're never around anymore."

"… I'm sorry." He looked at me. He was serious.

I just shook my head. "Don't be. They're assholes."

He made a face. "They're your parents…"

I grabbed my purse and began to get out of the car. "Coming?" I nearly tripped on a rock by the front door.

I busted out laughing.

"Gabriella, you need to be quiet! My parents.."

"Oh, shut it Bolton. Who cares? Your dad's probably waiting for your ass. Come on." I unlocked my front door.

Troy just stood there. Nervous.

"You know, I should probably go home. It's been a long night."

I folded my arms. Damn.

A part of me wanted to be diabolical and force Troy to come stay the night with me again. It wasn't really the evil part of me though. It was more like the obsessed, love-drunk girl inside of me. I wanted to memorize Troy's face again. His features. I wanted to run my fingers down his chest and have him inside of me again. Thrusting, bringing me back to life. The worst part was I wasn't really wanting the sex part… I just wanted to have him close, have his arms around me. I felt safe with him. I wanted him to look at me in that way… in that way where I knew. I knew I was his whole life, his whole world, and that his universe revolved around me, that no other girl would ever come close. And he didn't even have to say those words.

But I decided to let go of my selfish wants and I would let him go back home, where he felt comfortable. I already broke him out of his zone tonight. He already got to be someone else. I wanted Troy Bolton back, the boy who knew what he wanted, the boy who knew what was good for him and what was bad. He knew sleeping in his own bed was out of harm's way. His father wouldn't bitch at him for any of that.

One second and I was nose to nose with him. My heart screaming for his lips on mine and I had to listen. My whole body always ached for him anyways.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" There was hope in my voice. Tomorrow was Thursday.

Troy's electric blue eyes caught mine in the night. I didn't want to ever break away from them.

"I love you, Gabriella." It was his own words and at that moment, I didn't believe them.

I thought I was in surreal dream. Had he just uttered those out loud?

How was I living in my own fairytale, where Prince Charming told me he loved me, and we went riding off into the sunset?

"Gabriella?" I must have not said a word in a few minutes.

Daydream land. Ugh.

"I love you too, Troy Bolton."

And then, the planets aligned. Everything made sense. He kissed me.

I woke up to the sound of my bellowing alarm clock. School, also known as my personal prison.

There was only one reason I would be attending school today and that was because of my boyfriend, Troy Bolton.

I was officially one of those girls who squealed and shrieked about how they had a new boyfriend and how things were perfect and how he was so cute. And I was never one to write stupid love notes all over my notebook, but I had the urge to do just that and instead put Mrs. Gabriella Bolton with a bunch of hearts around it. How pathetic.

I took a quick shower and messed with my hair until it arrayed several curls. I then put my make up on and sauntered out the door, ignoring the breakfast that my parents were having in the dining room. They hadn't been home in days. They had no idea what even happened.

As I was starting up my car, I realized I was just in time. Troy Bolton was walking out to his junky truck. With his tight jeans and polo shirt, I couldn't help but admire him. He walked slowly, with such swagger. He never even noticed me staring.

Pretty sad when you catch yourself checking out your own boyfriend.

Transfixed and caught up in his sexiness, I barely registered the fact that he was heading over to me. My obsessions were not so subtle.

"Morning sexy," I greeted with a flash of teeth. "Need a ride? Wouldn't want your uh… thing to break down." I nodded over to the piece of junk he often referred to as his vehicle.

Disregarding my snotty comment, he made himself comfortable in the passenger's seat. "My dad's clueless about last night. He thinks I was out late studying with you."

I chuckled to myself, pulling out of the driveway. "Seriously? And I thought your dad was like a cop. Militant and everything."

I began to mess with the music, finding some good rap.

I then lit up a cigarette. "You know, in spite of your constant bitching and nasty looks, I haven't been smoking as much as usual. Good job, Troy. Looks like you're doing me some good after all."

He didn't retaliate.

I was speaking the truth though. Since Troy and I started dating, I hadn't smoked as much. I usually went through about a pack a day, now I was barely smoking three cigarettes a day. It was kind of miraculous if you ask me.

My phone vibrated. In my peripheral, I could see Troy squirming in his seat. Evidently, when phones ring, you should always answer them, otherwise, he gets uncomfortable.

Damn. He was so high maintenance.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Please tell me you're coming to school today." It was Sharpay's, squeaky, pleading voice.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm on my way now."

"Thank God. There are rumors! And there's a photo and…"

Oh brother. "Oh, great."

"We need to talk, ASAP."

I hung up on her, grunting. Of course. Zeke was at the party so he probably had tons of pictures and was boasting up a storm, how his best friend forever decided to finally experiment with drugs. What a guy.

This was kind of a priceless story for East High though. Troy was clean, never did a bad thing in his lifetime, got straight A's, and never hung out with the wrong crowd. And then all of a sudden he decided to break out of his status quo, get high with a bunch of stoners, and even get pulled over for going too slow. OK, so maybe going to slow was very like him… but the other things he did last night were not.

I looked over at Troy. I kind of felt sympathy for him. He was about to experience hell today at school. I decided it'd be best not to warn him. Didn't want him to get all neurotic again.

We both got out of the car and I headed towards my locker. He was right behind me, right at my feet. I ignored the way that people kind of glared at us, envious of the way we looked together, how we were a match made in heaven. Most girls wanted to kill me simply because I had him, while there were often guys who just watched, wondering what in the world Troy Bolton ever did to win my heart. My answer: by just breathing.

He barely had to fight for me. I was already his.

I was completely aware of him by my side as I went through my books, searching for the one's I needed for my next few classes. Troy looked a little panicked as people walked by us, whispering amongst each other. A lot of guys actually acknowledged Troy, giving him a pat on the back, congratulating him for finally going to the dark side.

"They know…" he uttered quietly as I finally had all my books gathered up.

"No shit. You're a popular topic. Thanks to your buddy, Zeke."

I could see the animosity swimming in Troy's eyes as I just mentioned Zeke's name. Shit, someone was in trouble. I didn't want to be involved in this chaos.

"I gotta go to class." He told me. He seemed distracted by all the gossiping and the rumors, but gave me a kiss on the cheek.

How lame.

The day went by extremely slow. I didn't get the chance to run into Troy at all. I was bored out of my mind.

School, like I mentioned before, didn't interest me. And whenever I got a test back, I cringed. I normally got bad grades. I didn't really put any effort into school though. To me, it was just a way to pass time, not something to excel at, like Troy did.

Before I got to second hour, Sharpay bombarded me.

"Gabriella. There are rumors everywhere! What happened? What are the deats? Troy Bolton smoking weed? O.m.g."

I wanted to smack her. God, she was annoying sometimes. I was friends with her… why?

"Please don't talk like that. Ever. Not to me. And yes, Troy Bolton got fucked up. Very fucked up. But who the fuck cares? Find something else to talk about. He's over it, as am I."

"Over it? This is big news! Troy is like… above the influence! What happened? Did you drug him?"

"No I didn't drug him, you stupid bitch." I didn't even bother hiding my distaste for this conversation.

Sharpay backed off immediately. "Wow. Sorry… just, you know, rumors."

"Yeah. Zeke's rumors. You can tell him to go fuck himself, and if I see him I will beat his ass. Let him know."

"Gabriella… uh, you do know, you're a girl, and he's a guy and…"

"I will still beat his ass. He thinks he's cool now because he was at a party where Troy got a little stoned. It's really not that cool. Zeke is a loser. And so are you for listening to him. And well, I guess I am too. Because I hung out with those idiots."

Sharpay's eyebrows knitted. "Oh my.. God. You are like… Troy now." She said this in a kind of robotic voice.

I faced her. "Uh? No…"

"Um, yeah. You're so like Troy. The old Gabriella would be ashamed with you!" She was being very dramatic, flailing her arms. "You two really are in love. Aren't you?"

I confronted her brown eyes, unsure of how to answer. Of course I was in love. I somehow believed I'd unceasingly love Troy. It was a love that made me shiver all over, that brought me to my knees, that made changing inevitable. He had took me over, I was already becoming someone else. Someone better. Because I wanted him to look at me the way I looked at him. I wanted him to hold the upmost of respect for me. I wanted to be his trophy girlfriend, the love of his life, the girl that stole his heart. And I wanted to deserve that title.

"O-kay… well, I gotta get to class. I'll see ya." Sharpay waved me off, leaving me standing there, alone.

Consumed in thoughts.

About to head to my next hour, I recognized a rather familiar mop headed boy at his locker nearby. To my disadvantage, Zeke was beside him, going on and on about something. I couldn't help but meddle as I slipped into the conversation.

"Yeah, bro, you were bomb at that party. Everyone's talking. I have about fifty likes on the Facebook photo I uploaded of you taking a hit. Everybody can't believe it. They think it's incredible, my man! You're a hero! You can do it all!"

I could see the irritation in Troy's pupils as he continued stacking his books into his locker. He was trying his best not to tell Zeke to shut the hell up and go bother someone else. However, he was going to break soon. Zeke longed to unleash the beast.

"Hopin' you still don't have a stick up your ass. Cuz right now, chicks are talking everywhere!"

Now was my turn to step in. "Uh, excuse me, Ezekiel? Chicks? Troy only has one chick, and that's me."

Zeke evidently hadn't noticed I had stuck my head into the conversation. Panic struck his face as his eyes darted from Troy's back to my expecting eyes.

"Sorry Baby G. But T-man is a local celeb now. He's moved up in the world. Time for him to be a bachelor so he can be my wingman."

"Well fuck," I blurted, making Troy turn around, "you should've said so. I mean, our whole relationship revolves around what you think and how you feel, after all. Isn't that right, Troy?"

I could make out the shadow of a smile spreading across Troy's lips before Zeke decided to jump in. "Hell yeah it does. Troy and I are best friends, ya know? And best friends gotta do what best friends gotta do."

Curse Zeke for sabotaging the almost-smile. Troy Bolton's smile was definitely one of God's greatest creations.

"Best friends? Pretty sure Chad is Troy's best friend. Or me. Not you. But good one."

"Jes remember who had your back when you was down, T. Good ol' Zeke."

Troy actually made a face. "… When was I down?"

"…Uh, I dunno. But dawg, you know if you were, I'd have your back!" Zeke grinned triumphantly. "Anyways, what's up princess?"

"Are you talking to me or Troy?" I asked. And I wasn't joking. I had no idea which one of us he was talking to.

Troy pretended like he didn't hear my question… or Zeke's.

"I'm talking to you, Sweet Cheeks. I know Troy's kind of like a princess and everything… but I gotta quit makin' fun so much. You know how he's reached new highs?" He winked at me.

Yeah, Zeke shouldn't wink. It's just not hot. Not like Troy.

With the slam of his locker door, Troy was out of sight.

"Good job. You scared him off, you ass." I shook my head at Zeke.

The day seemed to slug by without any excitement. Eventually I was in the cafeteria surrounded by Zeke, Chad, Jason, and some other fools that were mostly Troy's friends. Sharpay decided to make herself at home at the table from now on, as did Taylor, Chad's ex-girlfriend… or… new girlfriend. Whatever.

I didn't mean to glare at Taylor. I guess I did feel a little washed up – Chad fighting to the end for me, going to propose to me, then all of a sudden he left my life all together. All because of Taylor. I was just being selfish. Troy was nowhere to be found so I was a little lonely.

Zeke and Sharpay sure seemed extra friendly today. Sharpay was even sitting by Zeke. Bored by the conversation and the lack of blue eyes to get lost in, I paid heed to the way they were around each other. It was different – like the relationship between them had changed. Sharpay was… nice, as in not bitching at him. And Zeke was… well-behaved. That was a whole new behavior for him. He didn't make any comments about girls, he didn't even mention Troy and what happened the other night. He was being civil, talking about basketball, about his schoolwork. And ever so often, he would look over to Sharpay to see if she was listening. She always was listening, too. God, what happened between them? They were getting wild at Zeke's party, but…

Oh shit. Something must have happened.

I glanced over at Sharpay, trying to catch her attention. I was making no progress so I crushed her foot underneath the table. She shrieked in surprise, brown eyes glaring at me from across the table. I shrugged carelessly.

"We need to talk." I got up from my seat and pulled her out of hers, directing her out of the cafeteria.

She of course, pissed and moaned the whole way there.

Finally, out of Zeke's proximity, we were in the hallway.

"What the fuck is going on with you and Zeke?" I demanded.

A few teachers stopped in their tracks, abashed by my dirty mouth.

Sharpay looked humiliated. Her face was turning a cherry red as she tried to hide behind her hair. "Um… what are you talking about?"

"I know you think I live in lala land now that Troy and I are together but I'm not stupid. You and Zeke are fucking!"

Sharpay's eyebrows furrowed and she slapped me across the arm. "Gabriella!"

"Admit it! You are so screwing him!"

"Am not." She pouted. "We're just friends."

"Friends? You're friends with that animal? Oh dear Jesus."

"So are you. You hang out with him all the time!" She accused, pointing a long fingernail at me.

I cringed. I hate long fingernails. Especially Sharpay's.

"Yeah, but that's different. I actually am having sex with Troy. You're not having sex with anyone. Which means you must be doing it with Zeke."

"You're kidding. Your accusations are insulting Gabriella! I am not a super slut."

"You're right. I'm the fucking super slut. But I know you have feelings for Zeke. And you didn't even tell me."

Sharpay sighed, looking away from me. "Yeah… because… it's Zeke. And look how you're reacting just to us being friends!"

I admit, I was being a little dramatic. She must have been out of her mind though. Zeke? As in the pig that needed to be restrained, otherwise he would have sex with every single girl in East High? That's the same guy we're talking about here!

"Because… he-he…he's…Oh, where do I begin?"

"We connect, Gabriella. And he made a cake and…"

"A cake? Whaat?" I backed up. "Whoa, what the fuck? Zeke bakes?"

"Yeah. He does… he's really good actually! See, it was my birthday the other day…. And of course, no one cared." She gave me a good scowl during this conversation. "But Zeke did. He baked me this amazing cake… and…"

"And you fell in love. The end." I rolled my eyes. "This is a lame-ass story. Shar, you are a dumb ass."

"Shut up! I'm not finished. We kissed at his party, ok? That guy that I liked… you know, on the team, he was being really mean. And he made me cry earlier in the night. Zeke told me to just say screw it and have fun, so I did. Well… we did. And things got kind of… steamy."

I tried to suppress the urge to throw up in my mouth. "Uh. Right. Steamy. As in, kissing Zeke. How… unsexy."

"Gabriella! You asked. We've just been… hanging out. I know you think it's stupid but I'm not falling for him or something. He's just different when he's actually nice, you know? Sometimes I think he just acts out to be funny. He's really sweet."

The pathetic part of this was I knew what Sharpay meant. I had spent some time with Zeke before and he really wasn't that bad. He was kind of entertaining. A lot of the time he just wanted to get under Troy's skin which was why he went all vulgar and started talking shit. Overall, Zeke wasn't a bad guy. Had he been put in a situation, he would do the right thing. I also believe if he fell in love, he'd be a fantastic boyfriend. He was caring. He just didn't show it all the time. Before Troy and I were together, I had heard several rumors that Zeke was interested in me. And for awhile, I seen it a different side of him – a softer, more laidback side, where he wasn't always trying to amuse and impress his friends. Instead, he was trying to impress me.

"… I believe you. But… I still think you're stupid." I smirked.

Sharpay folded her arms. "Whatever. I don't need your blessing! I think you're stupid for falling in love with Prince Charming. Mostly because Prince Charming doesn't exist and nothing lasts forever. So, go ahead, make fun of me for liking Zeke. At least I've accepted that it may not progress the way I want it to."

And with that, she sauntered away, her golden blonde curls bouncing as she left.

Dammit. She was right.

Where the hell was Prince Charming anyways?

I was sick of being alone!

Determined, I walked down the hallways, asking teachers and students if they had seen a gorgeous, blue-eyed boy any time soon. I got a lot of shrugs and a lot of glares but I didn't really care. I was relentless.

Finally, I got an answer from a teacher, saying they seen him walk into the chemistry lab. Fucking wonderful.

With a little guidance, I stumbled into the chemistry lab. Advanced chemistry lab, of course. God forbid Troy Bolton be in anything but the best class there was.

I lingered at the door, just taking a gander. My eyes rested upon the ever-so-famous Troy, concentrating on some experiment. He was wearing a white coat and a pair of safety glasses as he carefully poured something into a beaker. I was shocked at the change of color that immediately occurred. I wasn't exactly a chemistry geek but that shit was kind of cool.

"Hiding?" I broke the quietude, biting down on my bottom lip as I leaned against the doorframe.

Troy almost dropped the beaker he was holding as he heard my voice. He whipped his head around and our eyes met briefly. In just that second, fireworks set off and magic had taken over. Then, the eye contact was broken as he turned away.

"Everybody's so annoying today."

"I know. I thought you were going to kill Zeke." I chuckled, striding towards him. "I myself almost killed him."

"Nice coat, BTW. Didn't know you were a science geek too."

Troy just frowned as he went back to writing his lab report.

"Jk, Jk. You know I love you."

"So I was just talking to Shar and I guess her and Zeke are getting it on. Gross, right? And not just in the physical way. They're all attached to each other and shit. Eww."

Troy looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. "You do understand you're in a committed relationship…"

"Shut the fuck up. I know." I nuzzled my nose into his back. "You know, this chemistry stuff kind of turns me on. You know, there's an empty closet over there if you want to maybe…"

I could see Troy's eyes turning into slits in front of me. Reading his expression was easy, "Are you kidding me?"

"Not so much? Dammit. You always gotta make me work for it. It sucks." I complained.

"You know, sometimes I think you like sex more than I do. If that's… possible." Troy mused, completely occupied by the questions in front of him.

"I sometimes think that too. It's crazy right? Or maybe you just don't have enough testosterone."

"Trust me… I have enough." I couldn't help but obsess over the way he bit down on his bottom lip roughly, as if cursing himself for admitting such a thing.

He was so put together. Exactly why sometimes I just wanted to rip him apart, see what he really had to say, what he was really thinking. I kind of liked the way he portrayed himself though – shy and afraid of being too honest. Why would I ever ask him to do something more then he wanted? I wanted to stop, stop pushing him to be someone he wasn't. I loved him all immaculate and refined. That's what drawn me to him.

There was small knock at one of the doors and I jumped a little. Troy seemed just as startled as I did, glancing towards the door.

"Troy Bolton? I knew I recognized that as you. Working on our last lab?" It was a teacher with mousy, short curly blonde hair. She was very ordinary, nothing special to look at.

"Mrs. Thomas… yeah, I was just working on that lab from yesterday. I'm almost finished… if that's okay?"

Mrs. Thomas only smiled brightly at Troy. "Of course, that's fine." She then noticed me, standing beside Troy, tongue-tied. "Is this one of your friends?"

"… You could say that." I forced out, giving Troy my weakest smile. I was daring myself to be myself around this teacher, embarrass Troy a little but I decided I wouldn't. I needed to stop being such an ass.

"Nice to meet you." She gave me a nod. "Troy, I'm really hoping you'll pursue science when you go to college, maybe a science major?" She actually seemed enthusiastic about this, her blue eyes lighting up.

College? That was like, forever from now. Why the hell was she talking about it?

Troy's eyes left his lab report and met the teacher's. I lost my breath to the sight of his blue eyes – filled with something I hadn't actually seen much, passion. Besides when we were in bed together, he never really had much sentiment towards things. There was nothing that really meant something to him. But right now, I could see meaning. Indignation. Something powerful.

"I… actually want to pursue a medical career." The confession seemed to embarrass him as he looked over towards me, nervously.

It made complete sense to me though. I wasn't baffled or stumped by his words as much as he thought I was. Troy always put other's happiness before his own. He never judged people based on their reputation, what they had, or what they didn't have. He was perfect for the job. He was a good guy. And he was brilliant.

"Wow. I hope so! If you need a recommendation, I'll definitely write you one. You've definitely been one of my best students. Where do you intend on going to college?"

Troy's eyes sparkled. "California. Well… the west coast. I've visited several times and…"

"Great choice. I have plenty of friends who graduated from Stanford, UCLA, Santa Barbara. Stanford has one of the best medical programs in the United States, you know."

There was a hesitation in the room. California? That was only, how many hours away? But that was also awhile from now. I shouldn't be worrying about it.

"Well, you have a long time to figure it out. But I'm sure you'll do great." She gave him an optimistic smile.

Troy's eyes found my own, "Actually… I, um, I'm graduating early." There was a hint of guilt in his tone as he never strayed from my face. He was apologizing.

"… How early?" It was my question, my squeaky voice had finally spoken up. I didn't realize it was shaky.

Mrs. Thomas seemed just as interested.

"… I'm graduating next year, the first semester."

The world around me seemed to get smaller. Next year? First semester? What about me? The tile beneath me seemed to vanish, along with the conversation they were still having. Their words meant nothing now. I could literally hear my heart shattering into tiny pieces. I should have been on the ground, clutching my stomach. I kept myself erect. Surely, Troy hadn't been planning his future without me.

Forever – that was just a funny, silly joke to him.

He was about to head off to California and become some big shot doctor while I was stuck in Albuquerque, about to buss tables and waitress for the rest of eternity.

My palms began to sweat. There was a lump in my throat and I had to do everything in my power to keep composed, to not break down into sobs, to not liquify into a puddle on the floor.

Troy's eyes warily caught mine in his conversation with his teacher. I could see the sorry's floating. He desperately wanted to explain but right now, he couldn't. So I just had to wait. Wait and be tormented by the anticipation.

END OF CHAPTER

A/n: Oh my god, I'm so sorry it was so long! Major writer's block. Some more drama to come and stay tuned for some further Zeke x Sharpay action. I won't end this story without a bang though, I promise. By time it does end, you will be sick of Troy and Gabriella. Lol. Throw me some reviews though so I know you're still with me. And tune into my story, Best I ever had, Troy Bolton's version. Even if you haven't read Gabriella's version, you could tune into Troy's. It kind of saved me from my dark days where I couldn't think of anything to write. Love you all.